In a city inundated with psychic shops and all manner of witch kitsch, the closure of the Salem visitor center, along with the historic Custom House and a popular tall ship, could hardly have come at a worse time.

While virtually all the most popular sites will be open as usual, the tall ship and Custom House were closed for the duration of the shutdown.

To fill the void, volunteers handed out maps and brochures at a makeshift visitor center in front of the federal center, doing their best to help people get their bearings.

The city also brought in portable toilets, replacing a key amenity of the visitor center.

Many tourists seemed unfazed by the closures, saying they were too happy about the beautiful weather to worry much about it. Most seemed content to just wander through the city, with no particular sightseeing agenda, or might sit back and let the tour buses do the work.

Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff

Salem tourism

Salem’s rich history, from literary to maritime, draws nearly 1 million visitors annually. But the city is best known for the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, and features myriad businesses with haunted and spooky themes.

Tourism generates an estimated $100 million annually, about 25 percent of which comes in October.

Pictured: On Essex Street, Gianna Stone, of Missouri got into the Halloween spirit.
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Pictured: Jarod Cooper from Maine dressed as George Washington. He helped fix his friend’s butterfly wings after getting off the commuter rail at the Salem Train Station before heading to the Halloween festivities on Essex Street
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Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Mayor’s Night Out

On Friday, October 4, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll will lead trick-or-treaters across town starting at 5:30 p.m. to visit local merchants.

Salem residents can take advantage of free admission to local attractions (with proof of address) like museums.

Nearby at the Artists Row, visitors can participate in a pumpkin-painting party starting at 5:30 p.m.
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Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Playboy Costume Ball

Rockafellas in Salem plans to host dining and halloween parties every weekend in October.

On Saturday, October 5, the venue is hosting a party for those dressed in provocative attire or smoking jackets.
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The Bewitched bronze statue facing Washington Street has become the most popular spot for tourists to take photos.
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Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff

Phillips House

A pirate flag flying from the long-time home of the late Stephen Phillips, will usher in Halloween on Chestnut Street.

On Halloween, pirates will invade the Phillips house (pictured). Worms, a one-eyed pirate with a dark beard, will lead a crew of buccaneers to sing sea shanties in the red-brick carriage house.
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Jonathan Wiggs

Hawthorne Hotel

The magic show at the Hawthorne Hotel will include a seance, and attempt to channel key persons associated with the 1830 murder of Captain Joseph White.
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Mark Wilson/Globe Staff

The Witch House

The Witch House was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, one of the magistrates who presided over the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

In its dining room, at a long table, Corwin sat with Judge John Hathorne, querying dozens of people about evil spirits and pacts with the devil. It’s one of the few surviving houses in Salem that was directly involved in the 1692 witch hunt.
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Mark Wilson/Globe Staff

House of Seven Gables

Secrets and hidden truths lie deep within the narrow hallways and winding staircases of Salem’s House of the Seven Gables.

Two theatrical performances make for a chilling visit to The House of the Seven Gables. The dueling dramas link the guilt and shame that haunted novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne.
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